diff --git a/src/config_parser.rl b/src/config_parser.rl
index 02002b5..6bd1073 100644
--- a/src/config_parser.rl
+++ b/src/config_parser.rl
@@ -479,8 +479,16 @@
 		_printf("got assignment: %s = %s; in line %zd\n", name->data.string->str, value_type_string(val->type), ctx->line);
 
 		if (ctx->in_setup_block) {
-			/* in setup { } block => set default values for options */
-			/* TODO */
+			/* in setup { } block, override default values for options */
+
+			if (!plugin_set_default_option(srv, name->data.string->str, val)) {
+				ERROR(srv, "failed overriding default value for option \"%s\"", name->data.string->str);
+				value_free(name);
+				value_free(val);
+				return FALSE;
+			}
+
+			value_free(val);
 		}
 		else if (g_str_has_prefix(name->data.string->str, "var.")) {
 			/* assignment vor user defined variable, insert into hashtable */
diff --git a/src/connection.c b/src/connection.c
index e6e8e48..a6f7581 100644
--- a/src/connection.c
+++ b/src/connection.c
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ connection* connection_new(worker *wrk) {
 
 	action_stack_init(&con->action_stack);
 
-	con->options = g_slice_copy(srv->option_count * sizeof(*srv->option_def_values), srv->option_def_values);
+	con->options = g_slice_copy(srv->option_def_values->len * sizeof(option_value), srv->option_def_values->data);
 
 	request_init(&con->request);
 	physical_init(&con->physical);
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ void connection_reset(connection *con) {
 
 	action_stack_reset(con->srv, &con->action_stack);
 
-	memcpy(con->options, con->srv->option_def_values, con->srv->option_count * sizeof(*con->srv->option_def_values));
+	memcpy(con->options, con->srv->option_def_values->data, con->srv->option_def_values->len * sizeof(option_value));
 
 	request_reset(&con->request);
 	physical_reset(&con->physical);
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ void connection_reset_keep_alive(connection *con) {
 
 	action_stack_reset(con->srv, &con->action_stack);
 
-	memcpy(con->options, con->srv->option_def_values, con->srv->option_count * sizeof(*con->srv->option_def_values));
+	memcpy(con->options, con->srv->option_def_values->data, con->srv->option_def_values->len * sizeof(option_value));
 
 	request_reset(&con->request);
 	physical_reset(&con->physical);
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ void connection_free(connection *con) {
 
 	action_stack_clear(con->srv, &con->action_stack);
 
-	g_slice_free1(con->srv->option_count * sizeof(*con->srv->option_def_values), con->options);
+	g_slice_free1(con->srv->option_def_values->len * sizeof(option_value), con->options);
 
 	request_clear(&con->request);
 	physical_clear(&con->physical);
diff --git a/src/plugin.c b/src/plugin.c
index 279c0b1..1e9fe15 100644
--- a/src/plugin.c
+++ b/src/plugin.c
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ gboolean plugin_register(server *srv, const gchar *name, PluginInit init) {
 			so->p = p;
 			so->default_value = po->default_value;
 			g_hash_table_insert(srv->options, (gchar*) po->name, so);
+			plugin_load_default_option(srv, so);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -326,38 +327,67 @@ void plugins_handle_close(connection *con) {
 	}
 }
 
-gboolean plugins_load_default_options(server *srv) {
-	GHashTableIter iter;
-	gpointer k, v;
+gboolean plugin_set_default_option(server *srv, const gchar* name, value *val) {
+	server_option *sopt;
+	option_set setting;
 
-	g_hash_table_iter_init(&iter, srv->options);
-	while (g_hash_table_iter_next(&iter, &k, &v)) {
-		server_option *sopt = v;
-		option_value oval = { 0 };
-
-		if (!sopt->parse_option) {
-			switch (sopt->type) {
-			case VALUE_NONE:
-				break;
-			case VALUE_BOOLEAN:
-				oval.boolean = GPOINTER_TO_INT(sopt->default_value);
-			case VALUE_NUMBER:
-				oval.number = GPOINTER_TO_INT(sopt->default_value);
-				break;
-			case VALUE_STRING:
-				oval.string = g_string_new((const char*) sopt->default_value);
-				break;
-			default:
-				oval.ptr = NULL;
-			}
-		} else {
-			if (!sopt->parse_option(srv, sopt->p, sopt->module_index, NULL, &oval)) {
-				/* errors should be logged by parse function */
-				return FALSE;
-			}
+	sopt = find_option(srv, name);
+
+	if (!sopt) {
+		ERROR(srv, "unknown option \"%s\"", name);
+		return FALSE;
+	}
+
+	/* free old value */
+	setting.sopt = sopt;
+	setting.ndx = sopt->index;
+	setting.value = g_array_index(srv->option_def_values, option_value, sopt->index);
+
+	release_option(srv, &setting);
+
+	/* assign new value */
+	if (!parse_option(srv, name, val, &setting)) {
+		return FALSE;
+	}
+
+	g_array_index(srv->option_def_values, option_value, sopt->index) = setting.value;
+
+	return TRUE;
+}
+
+gboolean plugin_load_default_option(server *srv, server_option *sopt) {
+	option_value oval = {0};
+
+	if (!sopt)
+		return FALSE;
+
+	if (!sopt->parse_option) {
+		switch (sopt->type) {
+		case VALUE_NONE:
+			break;
+		case VALUE_BOOLEAN:
+			oval.boolean = GPOINTER_TO_INT(sopt->default_value);
+		case VALUE_NUMBER:
+			oval.number = GPOINTER_TO_INT(sopt->default_value);
+			break;
+		case VALUE_STRING:
+			oval.string = g_string_new((const char*) sopt->default_value);
+			break;
+		default:
+			oval.ptr = NULL;
+		}
+	} else {
+		if (!sopt->parse_option(srv, sopt->p, sopt->module_index, NULL, &oval)) {
+			/* errors should be logged by parse function */
+			return FALSE;
 		}
-		srv->option_def_values[sopt->index] = oval;
 	}
+
+	if (srv->option_def_values->len <= sopt->index)
+		g_array_set_size(srv->option_def_values, sopt->index + 1);
+
+	g_array_index(srv->option_def_values, option_value, sopt->index) = oval;
+
 	return TRUE;
 }
 
@@ -372,9 +402,10 @@ void plugins_free_default_options(server *srv) {
 		option_set mark;
 		mark.sopt = sopt;
 		mark.ndx = sopt->index;
-		mark.value = srv->option_def_values[sopt->index];
+
+		mark.value = g_array_index(srv->option_def_values, option_value, sopt->index);
 
 		release_option(srv, &mark);
-		srv->option_def_values[sopt->index] = oempty;
+		g_array_index(srv->option_def_values, option_value, sopt->index) = oempty;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/plugin.h b/src/plugin.h
index 09c1a95..31ea33f 100644
--- a/src/plugin.h
+++ b/src/plugin.h
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ struct server_setup {
 	PluginSetup setup;
 };
 
-/* Needed my modules to register their plugin(s) */
+/* Needed by modules to register their plugin(s) */
 LI_API gboolean plugin_register(server *srv, const gchar *name, PluginInit init);
 
 /* Internal needed functions */
@@ -156,9 +156,11 @@ LI_API action* create_action(server *srv, const gchar *name, value *value);
 /** For setup function, e.g. 'listen "127.0.0.1:8080"'; free value after call */
 LI_API gboolean call_setup(server *srv, const char *name, value *val);
 
-LI_API gboolean plugins_load_default_options(server *srv);
 LI_API void plugins_free_default_options(server *srv);
 
+LI_API gboolean plugin_load_default_option(server *srv, server_option *sopt);
+LI_API gboolean plugin_set_default_option(server *srv, const gchar* name, value *val);
+
 /* needs connection *con and plugin *p */
 #define OPTION(idx) _OPTION(con, p, idx)
 #define _OPTION(con, p, idx) (con->options[p->opt_base_index + idx])
diff --git a/src/plugin_core.c b/src/plugin_core.c
index bb35f52..d1b11d1 100644
--- a/src/plugin_core.c
+++ b/src/plugin_core.c
@@ -453,7 +453,17 @@ static gboolean core_option_log_parse(server *srv, plugin *p, size_t ndx, value
 
 	oval->list = arr;
 	g_array_set_size(arr, 5);
-	if (!val) return TRUE; /* default value */
+
+	/* default value */
+	if (!val) {
+		/* default: log LOG_LEVEL_WARNING and LOG_LEVEL_ERROR to stderr */
+		log_t *log = srv->logs.stderr;
+		log_ref(srv, log);
+		g_array_index(arr, log_t*, LOG_LEVEL_WARNING) = log;
+		log_ref(srv, log);
+		g_array_index(arr, log_t*, LOG_LEVEL_ERROR) = log;
+		return TRUE;
+	}
 
 	g_hash_table_iter_init(&iter, val->data.hash);
 	while (g_hash_table_iter_next(&iter, &k, &v)) {
diff --git a/src/server.c b/src/server.c
index cdfc1c0..fbb7aa3 100644
--- a/src/server.c
+++ b/src/server.c
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ server* server_new() {
 	srv->setups  = g_hash_table_new_full(g_str_hash, g_str_equal, NULL, server_setup_free);
 
 	srv->plugins_handle_close = g_array_new(FALSE, TRUE, sizeof(plugin*));
+	srv->option_def_values = g_array_new(FALSE, TRUE, sizeof(option_value));
 
 	srv->mainaction = NULL;
 
@@ -122,10 +123,10 @@ void server_free(server* srv) {
 
 	action_release(srv, srv->mainaction);
 
-	if (srv->option_def_values) {
+	if (srv->option_def_values->len) {
 		plugins_free_default_options(srv);
-		g_slice_free1(srv->option_count * sizeof(*srv->option_def_values), srv->option_def_values);
 	}
+	g_array_free(srv->option_def_values, TRUE);
 
 	log_cleanup(srv);
 
@@ -256,16 +257,6 @@ void server_start(server *srv) {
 
 	srv->keep_alive_queue_timeout = 5;
 
-	srv->option_count = g_hash_table_size(srv->options);
-	srv->option_def_values = g_slice_alloc0(srv->option_count * sizeof(*srv->option_def_values));
-
-	/* set default option values */
-	if (!plugins_load_default_options(srv)) {
-		ERROR(srv, "%s", "Error while loading option default values");
-		server_stop(srv);
-		return;
-	}
-
 	plugins_prepare_callbacks(srv);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < srv->sockets->len; i++) {
diff --git a/src/server.h b/src/server.h
index 231a7ef..97d90d6 100644
--- a/src/server.h
+++ b/src/server.h
@@ -50,8 +50,7 @@ struct server {
 
 	GArray *plugins_handle_close; /** list of handle_close callbacks */
 
-	size_t option_count;      /**< set to size of value hash table */
-	union option_value *option_def_values;
+	GArray *option_def_values;/** array of option_value */
 	struct action *mainaction;
 
 	gboolean exiting;         /** atomic access */